Rotary vane machine with back pressure regulation on vanes

Abstract

A rotary machine includes a stationary housing having a rotor chamber and a rotor rotatably mounted in the rotor chamber, the inner peripheral surface of the rotor chamber having a central axis which is eccentrically disposed relative to the axis of rotation of the rotor. The housing has generally planar inner end walls having a cylindrical opening through which the rotor shaft extends. A plurality of vanes are slidably mounted in vane slots in the rotor and operable to define variable volume chambers as the rotor rotates and the vanes move generally radially in and out of the vane slots. Back pressure regulating grooves are disposed in the end walls of the housing, the grooves having a central axis coincident with the axis of rotation of the rotor, the grooves being juxtaposed to the vane slots and communicating with the vane slots for regulating the internal back pressure on the vanes in the vane slots.

What we claim is: 
     
       1. A rotary machine comprising a stationary housing means having a rotor chamber, said rotor chamber having an inner peripheral surface, a rotor means rotatably mounted in said rotor chamber, said rotor means having a rotor shaft having an axis of rotation, said inner peripheral surface having a central axis which is eccentrically disposed relative to the axis of rotation of said rotor means, said stationary housing means having generally planar inner end walls defining the longitudinal ends of said rotor chamber, each of said inner end walls having a cylindrical opening through which said rotor shaft extends, said rotor mean shaving longitudinal end walls juxtaposed to said inner end walls of said housing means, said rotor means having a plurality of generally radially disposed vane slots, a plurality of vane means slidably mounted in said vane slots and operable to define variable volume chambers as said rotor means rotates and said vane means move generally radially in and out of said vane slots, said vane means having longitudinal ends, projection means projecting from said longitudinal ends, said housing means having annular ring means disposed in said end walls of said housing means, said ring means being coaxial with said peripheral surface of said rotor chamber and being disposed to be engaged by said projection means to limit the extent of outward radial movement of said vane means to limit the extent of outward radial movement of said vane means from its respective vane slot to preclude sliding contact between said vane means and said inner peripheral surface of said housing means, and back pressure regulating means including annular groove means disposed in said end walls of said stationary housing means between said ring means and said cylindrical opening, said annular groove means having a central axis coincident with said axis of rotation of said rotor means, said annular groove means being juxtaposed to said vane slots and communicating with said vane slots for regulating the internal back pressure on said vane means in said vane slots. 
     
     
       2. A rotary machine according to claim 1, said annular ring means has an inside diameter annular surface and an outside diameter annular surface, said annular groove means being provided in said inner end wall of said housing means between said inside diameter annular surface of said annular ring means and said cylindrical opening. 
     
     
       3. A rotary machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said vane means has an inner longitudinal surface interconnecting said longitudinal ends of said vane means, said vane slots having a bottom wall, said annular groove means communicating with said vane slots for regulating the internal back pressure of said vane means between said inner longitudinal surfaces of said vane means and said bottom wall of said vane slots. 
     
     
       4. A rotary machine according to claim 3, wherein said housing means further includes an inlet communication space and an outlet communication space, said annular groove means of said back pressure regulating means further including a first groove and a second groove separate from said first groove, said back pressure regulating means having first conduit means interconnecting said inlet communication space and said first groove and second conduit means interconnecting said outlet communication space and said second groove for regulating the internal back pressure of said vane means in said vane slots. 
     
     
       5. A rotary machine according to claim 3, wherein said housing means further includes an inlet communication space, said back pressure regulating means having conduit means interconnecting said inlet communication space and said annular groove means to substantially equalize said internal back pressure acting on said vane means in said vane slots to the pressure of said inlet communication space. 
     
     
       6. A rotary machine according to claim 3, wherein said housing means further includes anoutlet communication space, said back pressure regulating means having conduit means interconnecting said outlet communication space and said annular groove means to substantially equalize said internal back pressure acting on said vane means in said vane slots to the pressure of said outlet communication space. 
     
     
       7. A rotary machine according to claim 3, wherein said planar inner end walls of said housing means includes an inner end walls section between said cylindrical opening in said housing means and said ring means.